The Guardian

Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader in final step towards becoming UK PM

Former Greater Manchester mayor expected to take reins as prime minister and appoint new cabinet on MondayAndy Burnham has become the leader of the Labour party, paving the way for him to take over as British prime minister on Monday.The former mayor of Greater Manchester won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, making him the only choice to take over from Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

First Thing: Trump launches wide-ranging and unverified attack on integrity of US electoral system

US president accused China of meddling in his 2020 election defeat and said system was ‘catastrophically’ unfair. Plus Christopher Nolan’s epic take on The Odyssey hits the big screenGood morning. Donald Trump accused China of interfering with the 2020 election in a primetime televised address that laid bare his continuing obsession with his defeat to Joe Biden, but which opponents warned was a smokescreen for him to meddle in the forthcoming congressional midterms. Trump’s claims are unverified

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

Lindsey Graham’s death leaves South Carolina confronting complex legacy: ‘You loved him and you hated him’

The US state mourns its longest-serving senator while Republicans scramble to choose a successorThe South Carolina state house is a microcosm of the US’s contradictions. Outside there are memorials to the Confederate war dead and African American history. Below a statue of Strom Thurmond, a longtime US senator and racial segregationist, are the names of his five children including Essie Mae, whose mother, a Black maid, was 15 when Thurmond impregnated her.Thurmond died at the age of 100 in 2003;

general  Jul 17, 2026

BBC World

Bodycam footage shows airlift of girl stranded by Texas floods

Footage shows a rescuer reaching a family of three stranded by floods that destroyed their house in Uvalde county.

general  Jul 17, 2026

Washington Post World

U.S. hits bridges and energy targets, Iran says, as strikes widen

The attacks on Iran's infrastructure came on the sixth consecutive day of U.S. strikes. A retaliatory attack by Iran caused damage to a power and desalination plan in Kuwait.

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

Digested week: So long primary school, it’s going to be hard – for me | Emma Brockes

Plus, Trump pays out to E Jean Carroll, somnolent Little House on the Prairie, and why I’ll be avoiding salad in the USIt’s the last week of school and, in our case, the last week of primary school, ever, which I thought wouldn’t be a big deal but now we’re here, I’m sliding off my axis about the cruel passage of time. It’s not about my children, who can’t wait to crack on, it’s about me, me, me. Continue reading...

general  Jul 17, 2026

WSJ World News

EU Plans Rehash of Landmark Emissions-Trading Policy

The European Union wants to further relax its landmark carbon-pricing system to give the bloc’s heavy industry more breathing space to decarbonize.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

Here’s the latest.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Hits Bridges and a Port in Country’s South, Iranian Media says

The U.S. military’s Central Command said the latest round of attacks had “hit dozens of Iranian military targets” but made no mention of civilian infrastructure.

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

‘My eyes were stinging’: New Yorkers navigate smoky air and soaring temperatures

Pollution levels in the city were elevated as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south across a huge swathe of the USThe sun shone feebly through the thick haze. The smell of burning wood hung thick in the air. Many New Yorkers donned masks as the air quality plummeted amid health warnings.The National Weather Service issued an air-quality alert because pollution levels were elevated as smoke from raging Canadian wildfires drifted south across a huge swathe of the US, reaching all the way to

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

China rejects Trump’s claims of election interference as ‘pure fabrication’ – US politics live

Democrats also criticize speech as ‘lies and long-debunked conspiracies’Sign up for US News Breaking emailTrump makes unverified claims of China ‘election meddling’Donald Trump repeated calls in his Thursday speech for the passage of the Save America Act – a rebranded and expanded version of last year’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) act, which passed in the US House but didn’t get a vote in the Senate.This year’s version includes a very strict voter ID requirement for casting a bal

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

Here’s the latest.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

The 20-Somethings Running Ukraine’s War Machine

A new generation that prizes the tech sector’s innovation and speed is displacing the old guard in developing weapons and guiding Ukraine’s military to fend off Russia’s invasion.

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

ICE arrests human rights lawyer who fled Chinese crackdown

Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecutionA Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution.Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continu

general  Jul 17, 2026

WSJ World News

Trump’s Allegations of Chinese Interference in U.S. Elections Stir Tensions With Beijing

The claims that China meddled in the 2020 elections threaten to erode an uneasy detente between the two superpowers.

general  Jul 17, 2026

The Guardian

‘Greatest director out there’: Nolan fans fly into London to see The Odyssey at BFI Imax

Film fanatics arrive from US, Switzerland and Ireland for midnight premiere of director’s critically acclaimed epicOdysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than 4,000 miles to see the Greek king’s epic fable on the big screen.The 22-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

‘Suddenly, I Was Free’: A Chinese Pastor’s Journey From Jail to the U.S.

In his first interview since being released by China, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri details his surprise release after a direct appeal by President Trump to Xi Jinping.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

As Blazes Spread Near Paris, Extreme Heat Is Changing How France Fights Fires

Until recently, France’s forest fires were mostly in the south. This week, fires are raging much farther north. France is having to rethink its firefighting strategy.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

Venezuela Earthquakes Force a Grim Homecoming for Migrants

Mass migration, which defines modern Venezuela, has heavily marked the earthquake, too, saving many who had left, but also making their grief harder.

general  Jul 17, 2026

NY Times World

Dubai Migrant Worker Layoffs Reveal Costs of Middle East War

The Persian Gulf city attracted migrant workers with the promise of opportunity. Many now say the war has brought job losses and salary cuts.

general  Jul 17, 2026